"Chi... Chitari, he actually..."
Outside the court.
Seeing Chitari kneeling on the ground, pale as a defeated beast, Jirou's face was filled with shock.
"Bunta, should we...?"
"Hmm."
Marui didn't respond immediately.
He knew very well that Chitari's emotions were in turmoil right now. Given his personality, the flames of revenge were undoubtedly burning fiercely within him, and it was possible they could erupt at any moment.
Intervening now might only provoke Chitari's resentment.
"Enough!"
However.
At that moment.
A cold voice rang out from a distance.
"That person is..."
Everyone turned to look, and the members of Rikkai Dai's team immediately showed a look of reverence. Meanwhile, the Gunma twins, Kurata and Miyamoto, recognized the figure instantly, their faces filled with dread: "It's... it's Rikkai's Emperor, Sanada Genichirou!"
In the distance.
A tall, upright boy wearing a black cap stood with his eyes closed. Beside him was a boy with mushroom-cut hair, also with his eyes shut.
They were none other than two of Rikkai's Big Three: the Emperor, Sanada Genichirou, and the Strategist (Professor), Yanagi Renji.
"V-Vice Captain..."
Hearing Sanada's voice, Chitari, who was kneeling on the ground, trembled. He looked up abruptly and said, "No, I haven't lost yet..."
"Enough!"
Sanada's cold voice cut him off. "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Go, 50 laps around the court. Don't stop until you're done. Start now!"
"I... I understand."
Facing Sanada's stern, judge-like expression, Chitari's heart trembled. He finally came to his senses, not daring to provoke Sanada any further. Shaking, he stood up and prepared to start running laps around the court.
However.
Before leaving.
Chitari shot a deep, knife-like glare at Ishikawa, as if trying to carve the image of the boy into his memory: "Ishikawa from Hyotei, right? Fine, I'll remember you!"
With that.
He left.
Meanwhile, Yanagi, who was standing in the distance, gave Ishikawa a surprised look: "Is this... the rumored one?"
"Atobe!"
Sanada, however, paid no attention to Ishikawa. His gaze shifted directly to Atobe, who was standing outside the court: "You should know Rikkai's rules. If you really want a match, I can play you this afternoon after the draw!"
Oh?
Sanada's bold declaration immediately caught everyone's attention. Their eyes turned to Atobe.
As far as they knew, Atobe was never one to back down. Faced with Sanada's blunt challenge, he was sure to retaliate.
However.
To everyone's surprise.
Atobe simply shook his head calmly and said, "Sanada, it's just one loss from your second-year regular. No need to make such a big deal out of it. Of course, if you want to save face for Rikkai and challenge me, I'm always ready to oblige!"
"Hmph!"
Hearing Atobe's words, Sanada let out a displeased snort.
"Alright, let's leave it at that."
At this point, Yanagi stepped in to mediate: "Today is the day for the Kanto draw. Keeping this up won't do either of you any good. Besides, I'm sure Hyotei's Captain Atobe would prefer to face us in the finals... right?"
"Then let's leave it at that."
Atobe nodded. Yanagi was right.
Today wasn't just about Hyotei and Rikkai; representatives from other Kanto regions were also present. Causing a scene in such an informal setting would only tarnish Hyotei's reputation.
Moreover.
Rikkai was the one at a disadvantage here, while Hyotei had gained the upper hand.
Shortly after.
Ishikawa returned the racket to the Gunma twins and left with Atobe. The twins, however, were left in a daze. After all, the racket had been borrowed by Chitari for their match.
But.
Thinking about how this racket had been used to defeat the terrifying "Red-Eyed Monster," the twins suddenly found it growing on them.
"Atobe has become more composed."
Watching Atobe's retreating figure, Sanada nodded slightly: "Compared to his impatient demeanor last year, he's definitely showing more leadership qualities this year."
"Yanagi?"
However, when he turned his head, he noticed that the mushroom-haired boy beside him was observing someone else.
"What are you doing?"
"That person next to Atobe... if I'm not mistaken, he should be Hyotei's strongest newcomer, Ishikawa Shin."
"The boy who defeated Chitari?"
Sanada's gaze also fell on Ishikawa. However, he didn't see anything particularly remarkable, finding the boy's demeanor rather ordinary, no different from any other player.
"Don't underestimate him."
As if reading Sanada's thoughts, Yanagi said gravely, "During the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, this guy defeated Fudomine's captain, the former ace of Kyushu's Shishigaku... Kikumaru Eiji!"
"Who?"
Initially indifferent and not paying much attention to the mention of "Fudomine," Sanada's expression changed when he heard "Shishigaku" and "Kikumaru Eiji."
"You mean one of the top players from Kyushu?"
"Exactly."
Yanagi nodded solemnly. "And according to the information I've gathered, he won that match 6-2 against Kikumaru."
"Six-two?"
Sanada's expression finally turned serious.
He looked at the retreating figure, a glimmer of understanding flashing in his eyes: "So that's Atobe's confidence, huh?"
Having a newcomer who could defeat Kikumaru Eiji, a player of national-level caliber, would undoubtedly boost anyone's confidence. Even Sanada would feel more assured with such a player on his team.
However.
He was only slightly surprised.
Even without their strongest player, Yukimura, Rikkai's overall strength remained unmatched among middle school teams. They could sweep through any team in the nation, let alone the Kanto Tournament.
"As for Chitari..."
Turning his head, Sanada looked at the curly-haired boy running laps around the court and nodded in satisfaction: "This setback will probably help him mature. In a way, it's not entirely a bad thing for him."
Not long after.
In Rikkai's auditorium.
The venue for the draw ceremony quickly filled with representatives from various Kanto teams.
From Tokyo: Hyotei, Seigaku, Fudomine, and Yamabuki.
From Kanagawa: Jyousei Shounan.
From Chiba: Rokkaku.
From Gunma: Ookuchi Minami.
From Saitama: Midoriyama.
And others.
Among them, the most attention-grabbing representative was the captain of Rokkaku Middle School, a well-known figure in the Kanto region.
"Is that kid really Rokkaku's captain?"
Seeing the boy with a goofy smile step up to draw lots, someone in the audience whispered.
"He can't be a first-year, can he?"
"What? Don't joke around. No first-year would be made captain!"
"Well, it's hard to say. For other schools, it might be unlikely. But don't forget, this is Rokkaku."
The crowd murmured among themselves.
After drawing his lot, the boy—Aoi Kentarou—walked off the stage with a smile and returned to his seat: "Saeki, how did I do?"
"Great."
Saeki smiled and nodded. "Kentarou, you're really starting to look like a captain."
"Hehe."
Kai scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. Then, as if remembering something, he spoke up: "Once the draw is over, let's head straight back. Amachi said he'd be waiting for us in Tokyo."
"Yeah," Saeki nodded in agreement.
But as the image of that wild, orange-haired, bold and spirited boy flashed through his mind, his eyes instinctively narrowed. His gut told him that guy definitely wouldn't just sit quietly and wait for them in Tokyo.
"Next, Jōsei Shōnan," announced the official.
The captain of Jōsei Shōnan, Kajimoto, stepped forward. When he pulled out the slip with the number 15 on it, his expression shifted.
"Jōsei Shōnan, number 15!"
"Fifteen?" Wakato Hiroshi, who had come with him for the draw, frowned. "The prefectural finals were against Rikkai Dai, and now our first match in the Kantō tournament is against Hyōtei?!"
The former was the reigning champion of the Kantō tournament, while the latter was a perennial runner-up. He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Still, the thought that Hyōtei wasn't as strong as Rikkai Dai gave him a glimmer of hope. His gaze shifted to the two boys in Hyōtei uniforms standing not far away.
"Atobe is out of the question—neither Kajimoto nor Shishido stand a chance against him. But that kid over there... he doesn't seem all that strong," Wakato thought, his eyes settling on Ishikawa as his mind began to race.
"Hey, have you seen that first-year from Hyōtei?" A conversation between two people nearby caught Wakato's attention. His interest piqued, he thought, "He's only a first-year? Perfect!"
Facing Hyōtei, Jōsei Shōnan's chances of winning weren't high. But if Wakato could secure one victory, that would be enough.
"Of course," the other person replied. "Who doesn't know that fierce guy? He just crushed Rikkai's Kirihara in their match. He's a monster!"
"W-what?!" Wakato's face paled. The once-bold look he had been giving Ishikawa instantly vanished. He sat up straight, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, hoping Ishikawa wouldn't notice him.
"Hmph," Ishikawa, with his heightened senses, easily noticed Wakato's reaction. He simply smiled faintly, not giving it much thought. Compared to Seigaku and Rikkai Dai, Jōsei Shōnan was, at best, a third-rate team. They weren't even on par with Fudomine.
Ishikawa's attention was also on Rokkaku. He remembered clearly that within Rokkaku, there was a mysterious figure whose status, influence, and understanding of tennis were in a league of their own in the world of Prince of Tennis. If he was lucky, he might be able to learn how to unlock the Asura Path from them before the national tournament!
Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, at the Hyōtei tennis club...
After a grueling morning of training, the team was taking a break. The most noticeable figures were Akutagawa, who was sprawled on a bench, fast asleep, and Shinhara Saburō, who had been pushing himself to the limit ever since his loss to Ishikawa.
Compared to before, Shinhara had shaved his short hair into a buzz cut. His energy and spirit had improved significantly, but his relentless training had drawn mixed reactions from his teammates.
He trained harder than anyone else. His racket grips had been replaced multiple times from how tightly he held them. Long-distance running had become a regular part of his routine. Even more astonishing, he had somehow grown accustomed to the taste of Ishikawa's infamous "penalty tea" after passing out from it multiple times. To the third-year players, he was starting to seem like some kind of superhuman.
But despite all this, no one really believed in him. In their eyes, the gap in talent couldn't be bridged by effort alone. Training every day was fine for staying in shape, but to think he could earn a spot over the second-string or even the regulars? That was just wishful thinking.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
Just then, footsteps echoed through the training grounds.
"Huh?" The team looked up, their brows furrowing as they saw an unfamiliar figure walking in.
"Hey," called out Kuroda Shunsuke, the representative of the second-string, his tone firm. "You over there, this is Hyōtei's tennis club. Non-members aren't allowed in."
"Oh?" The newcomer raised an eyebrow slightly.
He ran a hand through his wild, spiky orange hair, letting his red jacket flare out behind him as he smirked. "As expected of Tokyo's top school. Quite the impressive setup you've got here."
*Swish!*
In his right hand, an unusually long racket appeared, pointing straight at Kuroda. "Rokkaku's Amachi Hikaru, here to challenge Hyōtei's tennis club!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the once-noisy tennis club fell completely silent.
(End of chapter)